Question:
My 15 year-old-daughter has been asking for a nose job. I, however do not feel that it is appropriate for someone her age to have such a serious cosmetic procedure. What are the risks of a teen having this kind of surgery?
Answer:
15 is an appropriate age for a female to have a rhinoplasty from a purely growth related perspective. That does not include maturity level however. The risks of the surgery are low and are not different for a teenager verses an adult. Having said that, as a parent you must feel comfortable with your daughter undergoing a major surgical procedure and your daughter must be mature enough to undergo the procedure and the recovery. While many parents may not have difficulty with the procedure, if you are uncomfortable then wait until a later time or perhaps never.
Posted by Dr. Buckingham
Question:
I am the parent of a child who I believe is a good candidate for otoplasty. How big is the risk, if any, is there for hearing impairment as a result of this procedure?
Answer:
The risk of hearing impairment from otoplasty is nearly zero. Of course the risk is never zero, but it is so unlikely that there may not be any published reports of that complication. The external ear provides little to no actual sound amplification and changing the orientation of the external ear does not hinder it in any way.
Posted by Dr. Buckingham
Question:
I am a 26-year-old woman interested in an injectable filler for my lips. Which one (Juvederm, Perlane, Radiesse, Restylane, Sculptra) would be the best option for me?
Answer:
Radiesse and Sulptra are inappropriate for lip injection. Any of the others will work and it depends on physician preference. Usually either Juvederm or Restylane are chosen. Juvederm is a little softer than Restylane and so we prefer this product for lip injection. There are some however who like the more firm feel of Restylane and prefer this product.
Posted by Dr. Buckingham
Question:
I am a 51-year-old woman in excellent physical condition. Would it be difficult to obtain a sufficient amount of fat for a facial fat transfer and will the removal of fat leave any markings on my body?
Answer:
It is rare that there is not sufficient fat available to perform a fat transfer. We have performed the procedure on triathletes and marathoners. Occasionally we are unable to find enough fat to do as much as we would like, but there is usually still a great deal of benefit. Usually thin athletic patients are the ones who need volume the most. In rare cases when insufficient fat is available or the patient need to recover more quickly we will recommend Sculptra. As far as markings or problems from the fat harvest, the fat is harvested through tiny 5 mm incisions. We have not had difficulties with donor site problems.
Posted by Dr. Buckingham
Question:
I am a 62 year old woman interested in having a forehead lift. However, I have seen many people who look as if they have a “surprised” expression on their faces after having the procedure and I fear that I may look the same. How often does this happen and how can I be sure that this won’t happen to me?
Answer:
Patients develop a surprised look after a forehead lift because the surgeon was overly aggressive with the procedure. This is easily avoidable, however you must understand that the desired result from the lift is a subtle elevation of the brow and not to compensate for other issues by over-elevating the brow. Believe it or not some patients request their brow to be lifted to a level which is unnatural. We refer those patients to another surgeon. We are also conservative in selecting patients for a brow lift and believe that often the aging is not due to brow descent, but instead due to the brow fat pad decreasing in size and no longer filling out the skin of the brow and leading to the illusion of brow descent. The best way to understand this is to look at a photo of the patient in youth to determine the relative contribution of descent versus volume loss. In many cases we will use fillers of Restylane, Juvederm, Radiesse or autologous fat to rejuvenate the brow by adding the lost volume back to the area rather then lifting the brow. This creates a more youthful appearance without the unnatural look of an overzealous brow lift.
Posted by Dr. Buckingham
